Cornerstone Fellowship of DeGraff

09/11/2026

The Support You Need

Everyone carries burdens. The things we go through shape the way we view the world, and ourselves. But we weren’t meant to carry our burdens alone.  

In Matthew 11:28-30 NLT, Jesus says to the people following Him...

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

A yoke is a heavy wooden beam that lies across a pair of oxen, evenly distributing the weight of the loads they carry. But the term was also used by Jewish Rabbis. “The yoke of the law” symbolized complete submission to God’s law, and Rabbis taught that becoming yoked to it would free the Jews from enslavement to the world.

Jesus is using a phrase that His Jewish followers would have easily understood, but then He flips the illustration. He tells the crowd that they must yoke themselves to Him—because He is the fulfillment of their law. 

When they do this, the burdens they carry won’t be heavy at all—because He will bear the weight of their burdens. Paul references this teaching in his letter to the Galatian Christians:  

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”   
Galatians 6:2 NLT 

The law of Christ is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). But the only way we can fulfill the law of Christ is if we bind ourselves to Him.

When we are yoked to Jesus, He becomes our source of strength. He helps us endure hard situations and enables us to walk away from poor decisions. He fills us up with His love so that we can spill His love out onto others. He gives us the capacity to support other Christ-followers just like He supports us.   

Just as Jesus bore our sins and suffering, we are called to bear the suffering of others. In this way, we show them the love of Christ and guide them toward Jesus.

Right now, spend a few minutes talking to God about the burdens you need help carrying, and then allow Him to show you the people in your life He wants you to sup

09/10/2026

Breaking Hard Ground

Imagine yourself as a farmer, and your life is a vast field. You sow seeds on soil sparingly, and these seeds represent your intentions, choices, and actions.

Hosea uses a similar analogy in Hosea 10:12 to describe God’s people. Israel had sown seeds of sin and unrighteousness, causing the soil of their hearts to become unreceptive to God's commands. And right as God's people were about to reap a harvest of God’s judgment, the prophet Hosea spoke with urgency:

"Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD until he comes and showers his righteousness on you."
Hosea 10:12

Just as a farmer reaps far more than they sow, our God promises that we, too, will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9). But, this verse also shows us it’s not enough to sow righteousness. We must also break up the uncultivated ground (Hosea 10:12). 

Our hearts become like idle ground when we allow it to grow hard and stubborn—resisting God's Word and work in our lives. But God wants His people to prepare the soil of their hearts to receive the seed of His Word by seeking Him. Seeking the Lord is like the early rain in farming season; it’s that essential ingredient that softens the soil and readies it for growth.

Do you desire to grow spiritually? 
"It is time to seek the Lord." 
"It is time to seek the Lord." 
"It is time to seek the Lord."

Don't wait. Seek Him eagerly and expectantly today. Meditate on Hosea 10:12; let it move you to examine your own life: Are you sowing seeds of righteousness and reaping the fruit of unfailing love?

It is never too late to seek the Lord—turn your heart to the One who promises to shower His abundant mercy and grace upon you.

09/09/2026

Suffering With Joy

When we are in the middle of our suffering the last thing we want is joy. People may even try to cheer us up, but in the middle of the suffering we feel so far from happy.

The Psalmist knew the truth, that human suffering and sorrow are temporary, while God's favor and ultimate restoration are lasting.

The verse contrasts God's discipline or anger—which lasts only a brief moment—with His grace and favor, which endure for a lifetime.

Night represents a dark season of trial, grief, pain, or emotional distress. Weeping may lodge or stay there temporarily, but it does not have a permanent home.

Morning symbolizes relief, restoration, and the return of God's visible comfort. The Hebrew word for joy here (rinnah) implies an exuberant, celebratory shout of praise once the darkness passes.

We can admit it. On the other side of trial and struggle, there is a great joy. Don't get stuck in the night of weeping. There is a morning coming that is about to be filled with celebration.

09/08/2026

Still playing catch up with our technological struggles. Will have this Sunday's post up later this week. Feel free to follow the link to our YouTube page to see last Sunday's message!

One of the genuine markers of being a disciple of Jesus is that you...

09/08/2026

Here’s What Humility Looks Like…

When you think of humility, what comes to mind? 

In our world, humility is often seen as a self-degrading concept that reveals our insecurities and keeps us from becoming our best selves. 

But true humility never leads to insecurity, because insecurity is a form of pride. Pride either puffs us up or tears us down. Pride is self-sufficient, but also self-destructive. If we’re doing great, pride makes our confidence soar. But if we’re going through a rough season, pride makes us sensitive to our failures. Pride links our worth to our accomplishments, and it prevents us from seeing who we truly are. 

Pride makes us think that if we try hard enough, we can become good enough. Humility helps us realize that we are not enough—but God is enough for us. 

Humility will often ask us to risk something. It might mean laying down our social standing, our reputation, our financial security, our sense of authority, or our expertise. 

But surrendering our self-sufficiency lets us embrace God’s authority. And our God did miracles through Moses, established David as king of Israel, worked through Isaiah in the midst of chaos, publicly honored Mary, abundantly provided for Peter, and glorified Jesus by raising Him from the dead. 

When we surrender ourselves to God, we allow Him to be glorified through us. Humility might cost us something—but it leads to abundant life. 

So today, how can you humble yourself before God? Take a few moments and process what you need to lay down in order to draw closer to God within the upcoming weeks.

09/07/2026

The Truth of God

What is truth? Various generations have had different ways of answering that question. It's a popular belief in today’s culture that truth can be whatever you want it to be. This is the idea that truth is relative and unique to every individual person.

But if everyone lives their own truth, then nobody can truly know which one is right. And if one person’s truth contradicts another person’s truth, one of them must be wrong.

Scripture tells us that there is an objective truth available; a truth that we can live by. Rather than truth being grounded in the individual, it is grounded in something much bigger than ourselves.

Truth is sourced from God.

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and everything that exists, and the one from whom truth and beauty come. God’s Word contains the truths that He has spoken to us—so that we might live according to His truth and His ways.

Jesus says that His teachings are true because they come from God. He goes on to say that anyone who knows the truth of God will be set free in their life.

When we know the truth, we are no longer living according to a lie. God’s Word tells us the truth and leads us to life. This is why Jesus says that the truth will set us free. That's when we become truly free to live according to how God designed us to live.

An important part of learning what's true and what isn’t is reading God’s Word. He has spoken to us through His Word, and all that He has spoken is true. When we read and memorize God’s Word, we learn more and more about God.

Take some time today to thank God for revealing Himself to us through His Word, and for illuminating our lives with His truth.

09/06/2026

Where Help Comes From

Have you ever had one of those days in which nothing seems to be going right? The rain comes at the worst time. Traffic is backed up and makes you late. A diagnosis comes out of nowhere and shakes your entire life. Psalm 121 always has a way of grounding me in the truth.

It is labeled as a "Song of Ascents" (Shir Hama'alot), part of a collection of 15 psalms (Psalms 120–134) traditionally sung by travelers on their way to Jerusalem and the Temple. 

In verse 1, the writer looks up at the hills and asks where help will come from. Verse 2 immediately answers that question, shifting focus away from earthly surroundings and onto God.

By calling God the "Maker of heaven and earth," the verse reminds us that the One helping us in our time of need has infinite power over all creation.

Because God created everything, He is fully equipped to watch over, sustain, and rescue His people through any hardship. The Bible clearly shows us this pattern throughout all events.

What this means for us is that true strength, protection, and rescue do not come from worldly or physical places, but directly from God, the all-powerful Creator of the universe.

So when it feels like everything in the world is falling apart, lift your eyes, where does your help come from?

09/05/2026

The Place to Start

There are many places we can go to learn about something new, or to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Books are full of access to insightful information. The internet is overloaded with both helpful and unhelpful content about any subject imaginable.

While those are great places to start, Scripture tells us that the foundation of all knowledge is a healthy fear of the Lord. This means that while we can learn things from anyone, the beginning of true wisdom always begins with God.

The fear of the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be afraid of God. It means that we should live our lives in awe of Him. We do this by recognizing who He is—the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is all-powerful and all-knowledgeable. God’s Word says He holds the power of life and death in His hands. These attributes should cause us to live in awe of God.

Scripture also tells us that God is loving, gracious, and merciful. Even though we—His own creation—previously rebelled against Him, God graciously gave us access back to Himself through His Son, Jesus. The God who created the universe loves each and every one of us. He loves you.

Living in awe of who God is and what He has done is the beginning of all wisdom and knowledge. We would be foolish to turn away from such a powerful and gracious God.

While we can learn a lot about many different things through books, people, and the internet, the most essential and important piece of knowledge about God comes from His Word.

Today, spend some time with God in His Word and in prayer—thanking Him for who He is and what He has done for you. Begin a habit of reading Scripture regularly so that you can know, respect, and trust Him in a deeper way.

09/04/2026

Tasty Fruit

We all have those times in our lives when we have the right answer. We know the truth and we know what is right. We believe that those around us need to see and hear that truth. However, we are sometimes overwhelmed with self righteousness and the way we present the truth comes out harsh. Rather than seeing and hearing this incredible love and grace that we know, it comes off as some prickly cactus that is hard to get close to.

The Apostle Paul knew how important it would be to deliver the truth with love and grace. He understood what the Holy Spirit was doing within his own life, and how that would be perceived by the world around him.

Paul gives us the fruits of the Spirit to have as a guide. When we are sharing the truth of who God is, and how He loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, it should be a beacon of hope to a world that desperately needs to see Him!

Be honest with yourself. What kind of fruit am I producing? Today, look someone in the eye, and blessing them. Speak love, peace, and purpose over them. Bless them with all the things that God has blessed you with!

09/04/2026